Rum

You’re a Minnesota-based craft distiller that names its products after Scandinavian words. For your first two products, what do you release? You nailed it: Gin and spiced rum, just what our friends from the north are known for!

Kidding aside, Far North (technically Får North, which would be pronounced “for north,” but never mind) produces craft spirits in some really beautiful, minimalist, Scanditastic packaging. While the company now boasts five spirits in its stable, here’s a look at the first two out of the gate.

Far North Spirits Solveig Gin – Pronounced soul-vai. Distilled from Minnesota rye and flavored with juniper, grapefruit, thyme, and other undisclosed botanicals. This is an update on our original review, which we removed when Far North said we received a bad batch of its gin tainted by problems from a bad water purifier. With round two, I’m not noticing any of the funky, methane-and-rubber characteristics I got in the bad batch. Rather, this bottle of Solveig is surprisingly light and almost tart on the nose — with notes of lemongrass, grapefruit, mixed florals, and white pepper coming to the fore. Some earthier elements emerge on the nose with time in glass. The juniper is dialed way back from start to finish, though; some gin drinkers may find this pushed too far into the citrus world, and some lavender notes, particularly strong on the body, are not going to be for everyone. But the fruitier elements are engaging and refreshing, just dusted a bit with perfume to take things to a clean and enchanting finish. 87 proof. B+ / $30

Far North Spirits Alander Spiced Rum – (oh-lander) Louisiana sugar cane spiced with vanilla, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves — plus a hint of espresso(!). This is a much more capable spirit, but it’s incredibly exotic for this category. Things start out with gentle sweetness before diving into some exceptionally sultry, savory spice notes. That espresso hits you immediately — more cocoa nib than ground coffee — while the cloves and allspice play a strong supporting role. The body is far more bitter than you might expect from a spiced rum, almost to the point of astringency at times. It takes some doing, but the finish manages to dial it back a bit. Here, gentle notes of sweetness finally re-emerge, the way a bite of too much cinnamon can initially be overwhelming but eventually settle down into something nostalgic and soothing. 86 proof. B / $30

Treasure Island, California-based Branded Spirits recently sent us its Arctic Fox Vodka for review… then they stopped by with more — everything the company is currently producing, in fact. Originally a major exporter to China — where it once held the license to sell Heineken beer — it’s now making a bigger, broader push for the U.S. as well.

We tasted through four additional products from Branded, including a gin, rum, Scotch, and Cognac. The company promises more goodies to come, including a single malt and some vintage Cognacs, to boot.

All spirits are 80 proof. Thoughts follow.

Hana Gin – Triple distilled (presumably from corn, like Arctic Fox Vodka), this gin is infused with just four botanicals: Albanian juniper, orange peel, lemon peel, and lavender. The lavender note is quite fragrant up front, leading to a floral-driven nose. Juniper is big on the finish, but modest medicinal notes creep in as the finish fades. B / $20

Motu Rum – Distilled from Polynesian molasses, then rested in used French oak barrels for two months. A hint of hogo up front, with some agricole character at first. The rum sweetens out as the body builds, offering tropical and coconut notes. Quite chewy, with a lasting, slightly fruity finish. Quite unique and sophisticated for this price level. Some proceeds go to support Tongan conservation charities. A- / $20

HM The King Blended Scotch Whisky – A Highland style blend which includes some peated malt along with other Highland malts mingled with Lowland grain whisky. Leather saddle notes start off what develops into a rustic nose, with a slight smokiness and plenty of earth. The body offers honey and toffee, plus some floral elements, making for a spirit with two faces — brooding and leathery on the nose, but sweeter and gentler on the palate. Curious. B+ / $25

Majeste L’Empereur Cognac XO – A 10-plus year old Cognac sourced from Dupuy Bache-Gabrielsen in Cognac. Delightfully minty on the nose, followed by the expected raisin notes, plus hints of cloves. The body builds to a sultry, leathery note, studded with tobacco character but balanced with fruit, lots of sweetness — a bit of vanilla, with some burnt marshmallow — and a perfectly crafted finish that pushes out gingerbread, baking spice, and a bounty of those sultry raisins. Great stuff. A / $110

Cachaca 51 is the best-selling brand of cachaca in Brazil, the home of this unique sugarcane-based spirit. That may not sound like a big deal, but according to the producer, they sell 240 million liters of the stuff annually, which makes it the second-biggest-selling spirits brand in the world. (Independent research does not seem to bear this out, but that’s largely irrelevant to our cause here — which is how it actually tastes.)

Cachaca 51 has the traditional fuel-like pungency of cachaca up front, but it’s folded in with some interesting notes of lime zest and lemongrass, tempering the petrol overtones considerably. The body is a bit sweeter than most cachacas, offering notes of light brown sugar, spearmint, and more citrus fruits — lime, especially — on the back end.

The palate is on the thin side and the finish is a bit saccharine, but mixed into a caipirinha or, well, anything else, that might actually work to its advantage.

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Tattoo artist Don Ed Hardy was mentored by Sailor Jerry Collins… and some claim that Hardy has flown a bit too close to the sun, imitating Sailor Jerry’s style a bit too closely. Well, the detractors will have more to talk about with Ed Hardy rum, a spiced rum that looks on the surface, well, a whole lot like the rising star Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum, which was released in 2008.

Rest assured that, uncannily similar label appearance aside, Ed Hardy Spiced Rum is not a mere repackaging of Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum. For starters, Hardy — which does not indicate where it is made, how long it is aged, or what it is spiced with — is bottled at 70 proof vs. Jerry’s 92. That alone distinguishes these two rums, but the flavor profile is quite different, as well.

The spice feels drawn from orange peel, cloves, and cinnamon, but it’s a bit underdone and not really racy enough to stand out against a mixer. The rum is sweet enough — not on the scale of the densely caramel-focused Sailor Jerry — but the lower alcohol level makes it come off as a little watery on the finish.

Ed Hardy does have one thing on its side, though, and it’s that the low alcohol level means it’s relatively easy to sip on straight. Not that you’re likely to ever encounter this outside of a conjoining with a healthy slug of Coke and, probably, a red Solo cup, but in case you want the option…

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Previously we brought you reviews of The 86 Co.’s Ford’s Gin and Aylesbury Duck Vodka, two winning spirits from a New York-based importer that’s partial to one-liter bottles instead of 750ml ones. (Standard size bottles are seemingly available if you’re interested in hunting them down.) Now we’re back with 86’s next offerings, a Panamanian rum and a blanco tequila. Thoughts follow.

Cana Brava Rum – Made in Las Cabras, Panama in a copper and brass column still, aged three years in new oak and ex-bourbon barrels, blended with older rums, and finally filtered back to white before being brought down to proof and bottled in Ukiah, California. Results: Totally solid white rum. Just the right amount of punchiness keeps things high and tight, letting the clear vanilla notes shine while keeping things on a rustic and almost simplistic level, particularly on the lightly medicinal finish. The slightly higher alcohol level pushes the rum’s firewater agenda but doesn’t do much to imbue it with secondary characteristics. Give it time in glass or water to bring out cocoa powder and graham cracker notes — or simply use it as is was likely intended: as a mixer. 86 proof. B+ / $28

Tequila Cabeza – A highland blanco from Arandas in Jalisco. Powerful, fresh agave notes hit the nose right at the start… and then… more agave. Nothing if not straightforward, Tequila Cabeza fires up the agave and never lets up, offering only vague secondary notes of cardamom and some tropical fruit notes. The finish is drying and a bit on the plain side, offering simple red pepper spice to balance just a hint of sweetness — and plenty of that classic, herbal, agave character. Fans of big, green blancos will be instant fans. 86 proof. B+ / $38

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Monterey, Calif.-based mad scientist Bryan Davis is back at work with a new rum called Colonial American Inspired.

Ultra-high in alcohol, it’s an iteration on the distillery’s Navy Style Rum that came out at the beginning of the year. Colonial American uses the same white rum as a base; the changes involve some production tweaks in the aging process that are highly technical and way over my head (distiller Bryan Davis says he has a white paper on the subject if you are so inclined to read it).

The overall impact of the spirit is much different. Navy Style is intensely drying and focused firmly on its wood, smoke, licorice, and wood tannin. In Colonial American, the fruit is still sucked out of the spirit, but here you get a kind of barbecue smoke on the nose, laced with fresh ground coffee beans and chocolate syrup. The body plays up dried fruits — figs and berries — more coffee, and a gentle smokiness on the finish. Water is your friend here, boosting the sweetness of the spirit while still retaining its natural power. The finish is long and complex, fading from dense sweetness to gentle smoke over quite some time lingering on the palate.

At 6% lower abv, Colonial has nowhere near the punch of Navy Style, and that’s probably for the best. Lost Spirits’ 136 proof rum was manageable, but just barely. With Colonial Inspired, the spirit is more playful but just as unique and exotic. If this sounds like it’s up your alley, best to grab a bottle extremely quickly, as this is a very limited edition. (Davis promises new rums based on Colonial in 2015, though, so stay tuned.)

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Can it be time for the holidays already? We’ve been utterly swamped in 2014 with new products for review, which makes this seventh annual edition of the Drinkhacker holiday gift guide — our “best stuff of the year awards” — all the tougher to produce. As usual, we are looking not just at what the very best release have been over the last 12 months, but also want to help you find the perfect give for your special someone, whether that’s whiskey, tequila, or any other spirit.

As always, the offerings below are but a small selection of our favorite spirits from the last year, but we definitely try to focus on products that are legitimately available. Got alternatives to suggest or gift ideas you think we missed? Chime in in the comments, please!

Bourbon – Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection Sonoma-Cutrer Pinot Noir Finish($100) – Every year Master Distiller Chris Morris puts out a special release of Woodford Reserve — sometimes a wildly different one — and his 2014 experiment is the best he’s ever done. This bourbon takes woody WR and finishes it in fruity Pinot Noir casks, bringing out a whole new side of this Kentucky classic. Just as worthy are two other incredible bourbons from 2014, Wild Turkey Diamond Anniversary Bourbon ($125) and Four Roses 2014 Single Barrel ($80). That’s really just a modest start to an amazing year for Bourbon. There are so, so many good bottlings out there right now. It’s almost hard to pick badly if you can’t find any of these three.

Other Whiskey – Green Spot Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey ($50) – This is an amazingly tough category this year, but ultimately I have to go with a whiskey that has enchanted me throughout 2014, the blissfully simple yet gorgeous Irish whiskey Green Spot, which finally made it to our shores this spring and currently stands as one of whiskeydom’s greatest deals. (Watch for Yellow Spot to slowly float over, too.) My close second is Hibiki 21 Years Old ($250). 2014 has been declared by others “the year of Japanese whiskey,” but it’s Hibiki, not Yamazaki, that is putting out the very best stuff right now. This year’s Parker’s Heritage Collection Original Batch Wheat Whiskey 13 Years Old ($90), a wheat whiskey, not a wheated bourbon, is also a standout, as is the ever-exciting Sazerac Rye 18 Year Old ($80).

As I’ve noted before here, rum has a long history of being distilled in America, and now it’s on the upswing again thanks to craft distillers and the easy availability of high-quality sugar products. Privateer is made by Andrew Cabot, a distant descendant of the Revolutionary-era Andrew Cabot, who was a rum-maker in his own time.

Based in Ipswich, Massachusetts, Privateer is made from Grade A molasses, crystallized sugar, and boiled brown sugar. Double column distilled, it is then rested in stainless steel before bottling. (An amber rum, not reviewed here, spends time in a variety of casks before bottling.)

Most white rums are aged in barrels for a time to mellow them out, then filtered back to white. Privateer Silver doesn’t have that luxury, and it’s surprising to see how the distillery has produced such a well-rounded and flavorful rum without taking this step.

The nose of Privateer rum offers classic notes of coconut husk, Brazil nuts, and a maltiness that mellows out some of the rougher alcohol character of the spirit. Nothing fancy, but on the palate, the rum starts to shine, offering notes of rich caramel, brown sugar, hazelnuts, and a dusting of cocoa powder. The finish is short but fresh, providing a pleasant rush of sweetness to finish things off. Fans of hogo will find just a touch of it here, but on the whole the body is gentle enough for easy sipping for most anyone, and it’s got plenty of utility in cocktailing applications, too.

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Somehow we never managed to review Blue Chair Bay Rum — a product rolled out by country star Kenny Chesney — when it launched last year, but today we did land a sample of a new limited edition line extension: Blue Chair Bay Coconut Spiced Rum Cream.

Now that sounds like a lot of pressure to put on a poor, defenseless rum, and this milky, eggnoggy-looking product doesn’t exactly shriek with high hopes when poured into a glass. For heaven’s sake at least dust it with some nutmeg so people don’t think you’re drinking milk, mmkay?

The nose is gooey and unctuous, somewhat off-putting in the way that only eggnog can be — a lot like the milk left in the bottom of a bowl of sugary cereal. Distinct banana notes are prevalent, with touches of cinnamon. The body has more where that came from. The powerful cotton candy sugar notes hit you first, then banana. Coconut is more of a hint on the finish, as is a vague indication of cinnamon. Until then, I would have assumed this was a banana cream rum if I didn’t already know any better. Either way, it’s the overwhelming sweetness that sticks with you, seemingly for hours, over any of the fruit or spice elements. Be ready for some serious toothbrushing lest the cavity creeps give you the once over later on.

That said, this is probably good enough to use for a quickie, down-and-dirty Pina Colada if you’re out of the other raw ingredients. I wouldn’t make a habit of it, though.

Martinique’s Rhum Clement is arguably the best-known rhum agricole producer, producing some really austere and sumptious rums. What then does it do to celebrate its 125th anniversary (which, I guess, was back in 2012)? Release a special edition of its iconic VSOP bottling, covered front and back with street art by JonOne. 10,000 bottles were produced at a price of $45 each. We’ll let the bottle speak for itself from here.